Arthur Ashe is the first African American to win the men's singles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and the first black American to be ranked No. 1 in the world.
Ernie Davis became the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy before his life was tragically cut short by leukemia at the age of 23.
Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas is best known as the first African American to win the individual all-around event. She also won a team gold medal for the U.S. at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Tennis star Althea Gibson was the first African American to play at Wimbledon. She also broke racial barriers in professional golf.
Jack Johnson, nicknamed "the Galveston Giant," was the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion.
Fritz Pollard was the first African American to play in the Rose Bowl, the first African-American NFL coach and one of the NFL's first black players.
Baseball player Frank Robinson was the first Major League African-American manager. In 1982, he joined the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play major league baseball, becoming Rookie of the Year in 1947, National League MVP in 1949 and a World Series champ in 1955.
In 1960, Wilma Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games.
Hailed as the greatest winner in sports, Basketball Hall of Fame center Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics to an unprecedented 11 championships in just 13 seasons.
Toni "Tomboy" Stone made history in 1953 when she joined the Negro Leagues, making her the first woman ever to play professionally in a men's league.
Debi Thomas was a figure skater who went on to become the first African-American to win an Olympic medal at the Winter Olympics.
Willie Thrower was a pioneer for African Americans in football, the first to play quarterback professionally.
Professional golf player Tiger Woods was the youngest man (at the age of 21) and the first African-American to win the U.S. Masters.